1. Field
This disclosure relates to a hierarchical structure for manipulating large heterogeneous data sets including data collection, processing, and reporting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many complex systems collect or generate large quantities of heterogeneous data, which may include different data types or structures, data from different sources, data collected at different times, and data having different levels of maturity or sophistication (i.e. raw data, processed data, aggregated data, summary data, etc.). Such data is typically eventually stored in a plurality of interlinked tables in a relational data base. However, a substantial effort may be required to design a unique database for each system.
Throughout this description, elements appearing in block diagrams are assigned three-digit reference designators, where the most significant digit is the figure number where the element is introduced and the two least significant digits are specific to the element.